Expect lots more press time of this furry rodent. Photo courtesy kotaku.com

We’re less than a month away from Pokémon Black and White’s release. Reports are already coming in about how Nintendo is planning to spend millions of dollars on advertising. They’re going to release more movies, promote the tv show, and probably go crazy with toys, collectibles, and merchandise. The whole plan with this generation, according to game director Junichi Masuda (Game Freak), was to reinvigorate the franchise and take it back to its roots. They’re trying to capture that feel of mystery and wonder that Pokemon Red and Blue had.

This is all well and good and I applaud Nintendo and Game Freak for making this bold move. However, I have a few suggestions to Nintendo on how they should spend this money. Think of this as a short, strategy guide for reviving pokémon….

1. RE-FAMILIARIZE WITH YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE

Some a little less scary than others

I imagine the age range of kids who first played Pokémon Red and Blue was somewhere around 6-12. That means that nearly all the kids who were first introduced to the game back in 1998 are at least college-age or older. Now take in all the kids who were introduced to each subsequent generation also around the 6-12 age range. Seeing as the last major release, Heart Gold & Soul Silver, came out last year, Nintendo is looking at an age range of potential gamers from 6-25. This is a lot of give and take because there are many Pokémon players who have long since given it up. Also, there are people past the age of 25 who still play it.

Nintendo should not focus only on children as its target market. There’s a whole generation of pokemon vets. They’ve grown up and now they’re talented artists. They’re creating fabulous works of art, fabricating beautiful costumes and sharing this passion on the internet. In fact, the internet has become an incredible resource for pokemon gamers of all ages to connect. Nintendo has the perfect opportunity to rekindle nostalgia with this generation and should take advantage of this demographic.

2. REFURBISH THE TV SHOW

This one’s actually pretty easy. Here Nintendo, I offered you a simple solution to all your problems below.

Seriously, it's time for him to go

Ok, I’m kidding, but I’m also not. Ash Ketchum…looks like he hasn’t aged a day. Wait a minute…he hasn’t! The kid has stayed the exact same age as when the show started. It’s time to move on Nintendo. Ash was part of a different era. Your new generation of gamers needs someone new to connect to.

Although, here’s a fun idea. Why not make a touching transition like in Toy Story 3. Ash Ketchum, all grown up, passes his pokemon on to a younger generation. It would really pull on the nostalgia strings of grown-up gamers. If I draw this for ya’ll, I’ll definitely post it up.

Back to the show. Nintendo, you need to make a transition with your show. Hire a new animation studio. Start a new storyline beginning in Unova. Give this show the clean beautiful sheen it deserves. Plus, publicize it! Show off the new designs and advertise the bold new approach Nintendo is taking with the art. Don’t think it’ll get attention? Photos of the new Thundercats cartoon reached the Twitter top ten trends last month. Make it happen Nintendo.

The movies have the same problem. Get a new animation style. Move away from the cutesy fun-time, kiddy stuff. It’s time to make a legit live-action pokemon movie. Using AVATAR like tech on creating all the poke-critters would be spectacular. Just look what a fan accomplished on his. own